Alaska Conservation Voters

Conservation Watch

Alaska Conservation Voters
works to protect Alaska's environment through public education and advocacy, and supports pro-conservation candidates for public office.

Conservation Watch (CW) is a weekly publication of ACV highlighting conservation issues in the AK Legislature.

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Contributing Editors

Suzanne Bostrom
Legislative & Communications Manager
suzanne@akvoice.org

David Rogers
ACV Lobbyist

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ACV- Juneau
419 6th Street, #321
Juneau, AK 99801
(907) 463-3366
(907) 463-2554 fax

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ACV- Anchorage
810 N Street #203
Anchorage, AK 99801
(907) 258-6171
(907) 258-6177 fax

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Web Resources

ACV Legislation Page
Bill position papers, back issues of Conservation Watch, and legislative updates

Legislative BASIS
Current bill text, history & committee schedules

Legislature Homepage
Find Your Legislators, party links, committee lists

State Homepage
Links to state agencies and the Governor

 ACV Homepage

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"There is no sport in shooting animals while lying in bed wearing camouflage pajamas."
-- Rep. Bob Buch speaking about his bill, HB220, which would ban computer assisted remote hunting in Alaska, on the House Floor, 4/20

In This Issue -

• My Turn: Time to Act Against Climate Change
• Action Briefs
  • On the Move
  • New in Town
• Hearings this Week

My Turn: Time to Act Against Climate Change & Support Renewable Energy

The following "My Turn" opinion piece by ACV Executive Director Kate Troll was published this week in the Juneau Empire.

With the latest report from the International Panel on Climate Change, there is no more pussy-footing around it; greenhouse gas emissions from human activity are creating ecological, economic and social challenges around the world, including Alaska, which is ground zero for global warming.

Warming here in Juneau? With all the snow and the late spring, it hardly feels like global warming. But it is. One of the major symptoms of climate change is more extreme and unpredictable weather patterns. That's why the term "climate change" is a better descriptor of what's going on than global warming.

In Alaska, we hear about climate change problems everyday. Alaska's northern communities are seeing beach erosion, deep permafrost thaws and receding ice. All this wrecks havoc on infrastructure. In Anchorage, officials report shifting weather patterns are disrupting air travel, a significant issue for such an important transportation hub.

Changes in climate patterns and rising temperatures have caused a significant increase in the frequency of wildfire and intensity, as well as an unprecedented increase in insect outbreaks that increase fuel loads. Alaska witnessed record-setting fire seasons in 2004-05, burning more than 11 million acres and costing more than $160 million to battle. On the Kenai Peninsula and around Anchorage, the spruce bark beetle has cost millions in property damage.

Across rural Alaska, traditional hunting patterns are disrupted as animal movements shift in response to the changing climate. In Bristol Bay, unfamiliar weather patterns and the early arrival of marine mammals are throwing the annual fishing and hunting cycles off. Lake Iliamna is freezing later and later, making travel difficult. Low-lying towns are suffering increased floods, as with Koyukuk's recent floods within the 100-year flood plain.

Commercial and sport fishing, two of Alaska's economic mainstays, are taking hits, too. Temperatures in Kenai Peninsula streams now consistently exceed Alaska's standard to protect salmon-spawning areas. Diseased salmon are common in the Yukon River. The Bering Sea is seeing lower crab productivity as more Arctic ice melts each year. In Southeast Alaska, the 2006 pink-salmon harvest was dramatically lower than expected due in large part to the warm temperatures of 2004, when the parents of the 2006 season would have been affected.

Finally, Gov. Sarah Palin and the Legislature are giving us glimpses of hope and of economic opportunity. Palin's choice to create a climate change sub-Cabinet position to address ways to reduce our contribution to the problem and mitigate its effects is visionary and sensible. This, with the renewable energy development fund (House Bill 152 and Senate Bill 96) currently being considered in the Legislature, will provide some essential tools to address this pressing challenge. These efforts will enable Alaska to join the ranks of other states actively charting a course to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

It is important to note that many other states found policies addressing climate change were not a burden on commerce. Instead, they presented economic opportunities. Some states are using action on climate change to position themselves in new markets related to climate action: producing and selling alternative fuels, attracting high-tech businesses and selling carbon-reduction credits. Even BP is looking at climate change as a way to make money.

Alaska can do all this and more. Though we are, sadly, the poster state for climate change impacts, we can also be global leaders in finding creative and ingenious ways to work toward solutions, develop renewable energy technologies and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. There is much to be gained from taking on this challenge.

As Alaskans, we pride ourselves on our ruggedness and our ability to get any job done, no matter how tough. We walked the path to statehood, figured out how to build the oil pipeline, and now climate change is that next grand challenge calling for the best from Alaskans. The time to act is now; let's pass the Renewable Energy Fund before the Legislature heads home in May and get Palin's climate change sub-Cabinet rolling.

TAKE ACTION!
Now is the time for you to write Letters to the Editor and letters of support to encourage your own Senator to pass the Renewable Energy Fund, HB152, this year! Letters of support for HB152 can be submitted both to your own Senator as well as the sponsors of the bill:

• Representative Harris - Representative_John_Harris@legis.state.ak.us
• Senator Ellis - Senator_Johnny_Ellis@legis.state.ak.us

If you aren't sure which district you are registered in, click here.

More Information:
Check out Senator Ellis and Representative Thomas’ excellent ADN Compass piece, "Renewable Energy Fund Beginning of Political Commitment," for more information. Information on where and how to submit your own LTE can be found here.

ACV's Webpage on the Renewable Energy Fund

On the Move

HB80 Ferry Service, Including Yukon & Kuskokwim - Rep. Salmon (D-Beaver)
A committee substitute for HB80 was moved from House Transportation this week. Both the original bill and the new version direct the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities to prepare a study on the feasibility of expanding the Alaska Marine Highway System to include Yukon and Kuskokwim River locations. An amendment was also adopted to specify that the study should be presented to the Legislature by 2008 either on its own or as part of the comprehensive long-range plan for the development and improvement of the Alaska Marine Highway System.

HB95 Operating Budget - Released by request of the Governor
This week, both the House and the Senate appointed conference committees to work out differences between the House and Senate versions of the operating budget. With the appointment of the conference committee, activities in both Houses will begin to speed up under the 24-Hour Rule. One difference of note between the House and Senate versions is that the Senate removed funding for nearly half a million dollars for four engineer positions that were slated to work on the Juneau Road Extension. Two million was also placed in the Senate version for winter service to Kodiak and Prince William Sound .

HB164 Ocean Rangers & Reporting Vessel Location - House Transportation Committee
A committee substitute for HB164 was moved from House Judiciary this week and was heard and held in its next committee of referral, House Finance. A second hearing in House Finance is scheduled for Monday, April 30. The CS moved by House Judiciary allows a wastewater treatment operator to be on board at random times as determined by the commissioner. The original language of the bill, which would have placed a licensed marine engineer on board only while the ships were in port, raised several questions by committee members over the constitutionality and degree to which the legislature could make changes to an initiative. Debate is likely to continue over the best way to balance the amount of monitoring on ships and the cost of implementing the program without violating the spirit of the people’s vote.

**Passed the House** HB175 Eminent Domain; Recreational Structures - Rep. Johnson (R-Anchorage)
HB175 was passed in the House on Friday, April 27. This proposal expands eminent domain protections that now apply only to personal residences to prohibit “takings” of an individual’s “recreational structure” (i.e., a seasonal recreational dwelling) for the purpose of developing recreational facilities. An amendment was adopted on the House floor that, in essence, merged HB175 with Rep. Gara’s HB40 (supported by ACV), which promotes public access to fishing streams. The amendment directs the commissioners of DNR and F&G to maintain a list of lands where access to certain waterways is or may become impeded by private land ownership and allows for voluntary land trades, purchases and leases between the state and landowners to enhance and protect public access to streams for fishing, hunting and recreational activities.

HB177 / SB104 Natural Gas Pipeline Project - Released by request of the Governor
HB177 was moved from House Resources this week and is now up and running in House Finance, its final committee of referral. A number of changes proposed by the administration and committee members were adopted in the CS in House Resources. Significant conservation-related changes included the addition of language to ensure that pipeline proposals include information on the builder’s plan for “implementing practices for controlling carbon emissions from natural gas systems as established by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.” This amendment was also included in the latest draft of SB104. The House version also added language specifying that the proposed route for the natural gas pipeline cannot be the “over the top” alternative. This language is not yet in the Senate version of the bill. In the Senate, hearings in Finance on SB104 are slated to continue. See the hearing schedule below for more information.

**Passed the House** HB229 Kenai Gasification Project & Alaska Railroad Corporation - Rep. Chenault (R-Nikiski)
HB229 passed in the House this week. An amendment was adopted on the House floor that added an additional $300,000,000 worth of tax-free bonding authority for the Willow to Port MacKenzie railroad spur (see Frontiersman). An amendment by Rep. Gara was offered prohibiting the Alaska Railroad Corporation from issuing bonds unless DEC certifies that the gasification plant will not release more carbon dioxide than the average amount released by the Beluga natural gas power plant. The amendment failed 11-26. The bill is now in the Senate, where it received a Senate Resources referral.

**Passed the House** HB238 Oil & Hazard Substance Response Account - Rep. Meyer (R-Anchorage)
HB238 passed 36-0 in the House this week. The measure creates a sub-account within the oil spill response account that will spin off earnings to better fund the spill prevention account. According to the sponsor’s press release, "HB 238 maximizes the rate of return for the response account to better fund the prevention account. It's similar to depositing money into a 401K instead of a checking account, and the rate of return, or interest earned, is much higher when put into a 410K."

SB111 Kodiak Narrow Cape Public Use Area - Sen. Stevens (R-Kodiak)
A committee substitute for SB111, which would create the Kodiak Narrow Cape Public Use Area, was moved from Senate Resources this week. Changes in the CS were made to align the bill with the House version, HB203. The CS included changes requested by DNR to: alter the legal description of the area; allow for continued use of the area for grazing; and authorize—instead of require—the commissioner to adopt a management plan for the area since there already is a plan in place.

SB118 Plastic Bag Fee; Establish Litter Fund - Sen. Elton (D-Juneau)
SB118 was heard briefly and held in Senate Labor & Commerce this week, but is scheduled for another hearing on Tuesday, May 1. The measure would impose a $.15 fee for disposable plastic bags and establish the Alaska litter and marine debris reduction and recycling fund. For more information, see Conservation Watch 10. ACV supports this bill and its House counterpart, HB230.

New In Town

HB243 Coastal Management Program - Rep. Joule (D-Kotzebue)
HB243 deals with the Alaska coastal management program to ensure that the objective of the program includes the protection of subsistence values. Additionally, the measure provides for DEC to provide notice and an opportunity for public comment before making any findings when reviewing activities that do not require a DEC permit or approval. A senate counterpart, SB161, was also introduced this week.

HJR21 Oppose UN Land Designations in Alaska - Rep. Thomas (R-Haines)
HJR21, co-sponsored by Reps. Johnson (R-Anchorage) and Lynn (R-Anchorage), would oppose the designation of any area in the state as a world heritage site, biosphere reserve, or any other type of international designation without the consent of the Alaska State Legislature and affected local governments. It also would urge Congress to enact legislation to require congressional approval before an area in the U.S. can be considered for designation. In particular, the resolution cites concern over work to establish an international park, a world heritage site, and a marine biosphere reserve called Beringia that covers parts of western Alaska, eastern Russia, the Bering Sea, and Glacier Bay National Park.

SB161 Coastal Management Program - Sen. Olson (D-Nome)
SB161 deals with the Alaska coastal management program to ensure that the objective of the program includes the protection of subsistence values. Additionally, the measure provides for DEC to provide notice and an opportunity for public comment before making any findings when reviewing activities that do not require a DEC permit or approval. A house counterpart, HB243, was also introduced this week. This measure is different from Sen. Olson’s SB 46, which passed earlier this session and gave the coastal management districts additional time to complete the revisions necessary to comply with the revised Coastal Management Program engineered by the last Administration.

SJR6 Oppose Wilderness Designation for ANWR - Senate Resources
SJR6 urges the U.S. Congress to defeat House Resolution 39, which is titled “to preserve the Arctic coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska , as wilderness in recognition of its extraordinary natural ecosystems and for the permanent good of present and future generations of Americans.” This legislation is different from the House Resolution, HJR12, which would endorse opening the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas exploration, development, and production.

Hearings this Week

Click on the date in the table below to get the most current schedule information for that day, or check the BASIS hearing schedule. Once a bill has been heard in a particular committee it may be brought up again without public notice or listing on the weekly committee schedule. You can click on a committee name to see a list of its members.